technical-audit

name	technical-audit
description	Technical Health (TH) comprehensive assessment. Verify SSL, performance, mobile-responsiveness, Core Web Vitals, structured data, and more. Maps to ARB TH criteria: TH01-TH20.

Technical Health Audit

Comprehensive evaluation of your website's technical infrastructure, performance, security, and SEO foundations. Ensures your site meets all Technical Health (TH) requirements for Google AdSense approval.

Purpose

Verify that your technical setup meets Technical Health (TH) criteria:

• HTTPS/SSL security
• Performance and Core Web Vitals
• Mobile responsiveness
• Security headers and configurations
• SEO technical requirements
• Accessibility and standards compliance

Quick Start

Input: Website URL or local project Output: Structured JSON + priority fixes + script recommendations Optional Scripts: Lighthouse, performance testing, SSL verification Time: 15-25 minutes

Scoring Mode & Aggregation Contract

This skill contributes TH signals into one of three benchmark scopes:

• Core 79: required coverage is TH01-TH13
• Core 79 + Profile: required coverage is TH01-TH13 plus any TH extension items selected by profile or trigger rules
• Full 105: cover TH01-TH20

Structured outputs should include:

• score_mode
• covered_items
• veto_items_checked
• selected_profile_items limited to TH items
• triggered_extension_items limited to TH items

Workflow

Step 1: Initial Configuration Check

Verify basic technical setup:

• Is site HTTPS/SSL enabled? (TH01, TH02)
• Does robots.txt exist and allow crawling? (TH03)
• Is XML sitemap present? (TH04)
• Is ads.txt configured? (TH05)

Step 2: Performance Assessment

Run performance tests:

• Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, FID) (TH11, TH12)
• Page load speed (TH06)
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
• First Input Delay (FID)
• Optional: Lighthouse integration

Step 3: Technical Configuration

Verify proper setup:

• Canonical tags (TH09)
• Structured data/schema markup (TH13)
• Mobile responsiveness (TH07)
• Viewport meta tag
• Device compatibility

Step 4: Server & Optimization

Check server-side configurations:

• CDN implementation (TH17)
• Gzip/Brotli compression (TH18)
• Image optimization (TH19)
• Third-party scripts (TH20)
• DNS resolution speed (TH16)
• Uptime monitoring (TH15)

Step 5: Accessibility & Standards

Verify standards compliance:

• Custom 404 page (TH14)
• Broken link detection (TH08)
• HTML/CSS validation
• WCAG accessibility standards

Step 6: Generate Report

Produces detailed technical report with:

• Overall technical score (0-100)
• Declared score mode and TH scope used
• Per-criterion compliance
• Performance metrics and benchmarks
• Server configuration details
• Recommended fixes and priority order

If running in Core 79 mode, TH14-TH20 should be labeled not_in_scope unless a profile or trigger explicitly adds them.

Checklist

1. ✓ Select input mode (URL or source)
2. ✓ Verify HTTPS/SSL (TH01-02)
3. ✓ Check robots.txt (TH03)
4. ✓ Verify XML sitemap (TH04)
5. ✓ Check ads.txt (TH05)
6. ✓ Test page load speed (TH06)
7. ✓ Verify mobile responsiveness (TH07)
8. ✓ Scan broken links (TH08)
9. ✓ Check canonical tags (TH09)
10. ✓ Verify ad code implementation (TH10)
11. ✓ Measure Core Web Vitals - FID (TH11)
12. ✓ Measure Core Web Vitals - CLS (TH12)
13. ✓ Check structured data (TH13)
14. ✓ Verify custom 404 page (TH14)
15. ✓ Check uptime monitoring (TH15)
16. ✓ Measure DNS resolution (TH16)
17. ✓ Verify CDN implementation (TH17)
18. ✓ Check compression (TH18)
19. ✓ Verify image optimization (TH19)
20. ✓ Analyze third-party scripts (TH20)
21. ✓ Generate comprehensive report
22. ✓ Export JSON + Markdown
23. ✓ Route to technical-remediation-guide for fixes

Process Flow

digraph technical_audit {
    "Check SSL" [shape=box];
    "Check Crawlability" [shape=box];
    "Performance Test" [shape=box];
    "Mobile Check" [shape=box];
    "Core Web Vitals" [shape=box];
    "Schema Validation" [shape=box];
    "Server Config" [shape=box];
    "Security Headers" [shape=box];
    "Analyze Results" [shape=box];
    "Generate Report" [shape=box];
    "Route to Fix" [shape=doublecircle];

    "Check SSL" -> "Check Crawlability";
    "Check Crawlability" -> "Performance Test";
    "Performance Test" -> "Mobile Check";
    "Mobile Check" -> "Core Web Vitals";
    "Core Web Vitals" -> "Schema Validation";
    "Schema Validation" -> "Server Config";
    "Server Config" -> "Security Headers";
    "Security Headers" -> "Analyze Results";
    "Analyze Results" -> "Generate Report";
    "Generate Report" -> "Route to Fix";
}

Detailed Criteria

Security (TH01-TH02)

TH01: HTTPS Enabled ⚠️ VETO Item

• All pages served over HTTPS (not HTTP)
• Automatic HTTP → HTTPS redirect in place
• No mixed content warnings
• Critical: Blocks approval if missing

TH02: SSL Certificate Valid

• Certificate not expired
• Valid for the domain (no mismatches)
• Issued by trusted CA
• No self-signed certificates

Crawlability (TH03-TH04)

TH03: robots.txt

• File exists at root domain
• Does NOT block Googlebot for key sections
• Allow rule for Googlebot if needed

TH04: XML Sitemap

• sitemap.xml exists and is valid
• Or declared in robots.txt
• Contains all major URLs
• Updated regularly

Ads Configuration (TH05, TH10, TH13)

TH05: ads.txt

• Required if using programmatic ads
• Placed at domain root
• Lists authorized ad networks

TH10: Ad Code Implementation

• AdSense code placed correctly
• In <head> or before </body> closing tag
• No code in HTML comments or broken tags
• Auto-ads or ad units both acceptable

TH13: Structured Data

• Schema markup implemented (Article, Product, Recipe, etc.)
• Valid JSON-LD or microdata format
• No validation errors
• Relevant to page content

Performance (TH06, TH11-TH12)

TH06: Page Load Speed

• Homepage loads in <3 seconds (standard connection)
• LCP metric: <2.5 seconds
• Baseline: Use CrUX data or WebPageTest

TH11: Core Web Vitals - First Input Delay

• FID <100ms on mobile (field data via CrUX)
• Tests responsiveness to user input

TH12: Core Web Vitals - Cumulative Layout Shift

• CLS <0.1 on mobile (field data via CrUX)
• Prevents layout jank/shifting

Mobile & Responsiveness (TH07)

TH07: Mobile-Responsive Design

• Viewport meta tag present: <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
• Layout renders correctly on mobile devices
• Touch targets appropriately sized
• Text readable without zooming

Link & Navigation (TH08, TH09)

TH08: Broken Links

• Homepage and top-level pages have no 404s
• Primary navigation links working
• Key internal links functional

TH09: Canonical Tags

• Self-referencing canonical on all major pages
• Prevents duplicate content issues
• Format: <link rel="canonical" href="..." />

Server Configuration (TH14-TH18, TH20)

TH14: Custom 404 Page

• Custom 404 page (not server default)
• Contains navigation links to homepage/main sections
• Helpful message for users

TH15: Uptime Monitoring

• Evidence of uptime monitoring

• 99% uptime over past 30 days

• Not completely down for extended periods

TH16: DNS Resolution Speed

• DNS completes in <200ms
• Tested from common geographic regions
• Fast resolution prevents delays

TH17: CDN Implementation

• CDN or caching used for static assets
• Images, CSS, JS served from edge
• Reduces latency for global users

TH18: Resource Compression

• Gzip or Brotli compression enabled
• Text resources (HTML, CSS, JS) compressed
• Reduces bandwidth and improves speed

TH19: Image Optimization

• Modern formats used (WebP, AVIF) where supported
• Proper compression applied
• Lazy loading for below-fold images
• Responsive image sizes

TH20: Third-Party Script Count

• Fewer than 15 third-party scripts on homepage
• Scripts don't block critical rendering path
• Async/defer attributes where applicable
• Performance impact minimized

Output Formats

Structured JSON Report

{
  "audit_date": "2026-05-03",
  "site_url": "https://example.com",
  "score_mode": "Core 79 + Profile",
  "items_evaluated": ["TH01", "TH02", "TH03", "TH04", "TH05", "TH06", "TH07", "TH08", "TH09", "TH10", "TH11", "TH12", "TH13"],
  "overall_score": 82,
  "criteria": {
    "TH01": { "status": "pass", "details": "HTTPS enabled" },
    "TH02": { "status": "pass", "cert_expiry": "2027-06-15" },
    "TH06": { "status": "warning", "lcp_ms": 2800, "target": 2500 },
    ...
  },
  "performance_metrics": {
    "lcp": 2800,
    "cls": 0.08,
    "fid": 95
  },
  "next_steps": [...]
}

Markdown Report

# Technical Audit Report
## Overall Score: 82/100

### Critical Issues
- TH01 HTTPS Not Enabled
  All pages must be HTTPS

### High Priority
- TH06 Performance Below Target
  LCP: 2.8s (target <2.5s)
  
### Medium Priority
- TH17 No CDN Detected
  Implement CDN for static assets

### Recommendations
1. Enable HTTPS immediately
2. Optimize images and enable compression
3. Implement CDN for geographic distribution

Performance Comparison

• Benchmarks against similar sites
• Historical performance trends
• Device-specific breakdowns (mobile vs. desktop)

Supported Check Modes

URL Mode (Recommended for Live Sites)

• Live performance testing with real-world metrics
• Lighthouse audit via API
• WebPageTest integration
• CrUX data (Core Web Vitals field data)

Source Mode

• Parse HTML/CSS/JS from local files
• Configuration analysis (no live requests)
• Schema markup validation
• Static analysis

Manual Mode

• Answer questions about server setup
• Upload configuration files
• Manual performance testing walkthrough

Automated Scripts

Optional scripts for automation:

# Full technical audit
node technical-audit/checks.js https://example.com

# Performance testing only
npm run perf-test

# Schema validation
npm run validate-schema

# Generate Lighthouse report
npm run lighthouse-report

Outputs:

• technical-violations.json - Issues found
• performance-report.md - Performance analysis
• lighthouse-report.html - Full Lighthouse report
• fixes-required.csv - Prioritized action list

Integration with Other Skills

[technical-audit] provides input to:
└─→ [technical-remediation-guide]
    ├─→ Nginx/Apache configuration fixes
    ├─→ Performance optimization strategies
    ├─→ SSL/security setup
    └─→ CDN implementation guide

[ads-readiness-assessment] calls this skill
[health-check-automation] verifies ongoing compliance

Common Issues & Fixes

No HTTPS (TH01)

Problem: Site running on HTTP Fix: SSL certificate + server configuration Time: 1-4 hours Priority: CRITICAL - blocks approval

Slow Performance (TH06)

Problem: LCP >2.5s or CLS >0.1 Fix: Image optimization, CDN, code splitting Time: 4-20 hours Priority: HIGH

Missing sitemap (TH04)

Problem: No XML sitemap Fix: Generate and submit to GSC Time: 30-60 minutes Priority: HIGH

No Mobile Responsiveness (TH07)

Problem: Not mobile-friendly Fix: Viewport meta tag + responsive CSS Time: 2-8 hours Priority: HIGH

Broken Links (TH08)

Problem: 404s on main pages Fix: Fix broken links or redirects Time: 30-60 minutes Priority: MEDIUM

Performance Benchmarks

• Excellent: LCP <2.5s, CLS <0.1, FID <100ms
• Good: LCP <3.2s, CLS <0.25, FID <200ms
• Poor: LCP >4.5s, CLS >0.5, FID >300ms

Use actual measurements from CrUX or Lighthouse.

Next Steps

1. Critical Issues: Fix HTTPS and major blockers immediately
2. Performance: Optimize images and implement CDN
3. Configuration: Update XML sitemap, canonical tags, schema
4. Testing: Re-run audit after improvements
5. Verification: Use resubmission-readiness-check before submission

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Related Skills:

• Fix technical issues → technical-remediation-guide
• Full site assessment → ads-readiness-assessment
• Ongoing monitoring → health-check-automation
• Final verification → resubmission-readiness-check